embarrassment

American  

[em-bar-uhs-muhnt] / ɛmˈbær əs mənt /

noun

1. the state of being embarrassed; disconcertment; abashment.

   Synonyms:

   discomposure

2. an act or instance of embarrassing.

3. something that embarrasses.

4. an overwhelmingly excessive amount; overabundance.

   an embarrassment of riches.

5. the state of being in financial difficulties.

6. Medicine/Medical. impairment of functioning associated with disease.

   respiratory embarrassment.

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Related Words

See shame.

Other Word Forms

• preembarrassment noun

Etymology

Origin of embarrassment

From the French word embarrassement, dating back to 1670–80. See embarrass, -ment

Example Sentences

“Well, you saw Dara and smiled at her . . . and I thought . . .” I take a deep breath, accepting that I’ll just have to live with my embarrassment.

From Literature

I don’t know how I never noticed the level of unkemptness before, and embarrassment floods through me, that Nate is with me, seeing it in its full not-glory.

From Literature

That’s not only because judges are fining more lawyers for their laziness, but because the publicity about these embarrassments has been inescapable.

From Los Angeles Times

Its narrative, as signaled by the title, depicts Mr. Lemann’s metaphorical progress from a Southern heritage in which Jewish descent was a mild social embarrassment to an enthusiastic embrace of Jewish rituals and beliefs.

From The Wall Street Journal

She said rejection sensitivity, which is associated with the condition, made feelings of embarrassment or exclusion more intense, sometimes leading her to spend more as the pressure to keep up socially impacted her emotionally.

From BBC

Related Words

• chagrin
• confusion
• difficulty
• dilemma
• mess
• mistake
• unease